Prisoner
by Light8mare
Summary: When Kyoya goes missing, it isn't unusual. When his bey turns up, however, Gingka and the others know it's more than another training outing. They find him captured, damaged mentally and physically, and one would hope that that's the end of it. It isn't. A new organization has arisen with intentions less than pure.
1. Chapter 1

**This was a fic I had on DeviantArt. One of my first. I edited it a bit, but it's still going to start off looking a bit amateur.**

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He shuts the door a carefully and slides down the bolt.

Ginga turns to the others. "Lets split up. We'll have a better chance of finding him that way." They nod in agreement and begin separating off.

"If anyone finds him, let the rest of us know," Nile offers as he turns to go down one hallway. Benkei turns down a different aisle, scanning each cage carefully. He couldn't risk missing him. Suddenly Benkei stops.

The figure in this one seems somewhat familiar. How that can be, he doesn't know, as the inhabitant is too mistreated to seem quite human. His shoulders and back are covered in angry-looking cuts and gashes, looking deep and infected. The ghostly-pale skin clinging to his bones is covered in layers of grime and crud, the likely source of the inflamment and puss his wounds were displaying, and his gray-green hair was matted and filthy.

_Green hair? Wait a second... _The prisoner, noticing his presence, turns and stares at him with dull, yet feral blue eyes. The familiar scars, unique to only one person that Benkei knew of, still visable under those watchful orbs makes Benkei gasp. "Kyoya... is that you?"

Recognition sparks in the abused teen's eyes at the name for only a moment before fading back into animalistic incomprehension. Knowing what it means, Benkei starts to call for the others before hesitating.

This _had _to be kyoya. There was no denying it. After all, how many people were there with both green hair and those same scars under their eyes? And yet, Benkei couldn't bring himself to admit to himself that his friend was really in such horrid shape. Kyoya was a fierce lion after all. Maybe in terms of brute strength Benkei had an upper hand, but Kyoya wasn't just strong. He was clever, stalking and planning before striking rather than charging recklessly. Plus, there had always been a different kind strength to him that made him seem untouchable. That confidence without cockiness in his power and standing. That knowing smirk he wore right before proving an arrogant opponent's accusations dead wrong. He was more than words in his declaration of identity. Kyoya truly was a tenacious, thrill-hungry, unbreakable king of beasts.

So how could that lion be reduced to this crouched prisoner in a cage too small to sit up in?

Benkei gets down on his knees to be better level with him and kyoya continues to watch him distrustfully. "Kyoya..." Benkei mummers, unsure what to say.

It hurt to see him like this.

"Benkei?"

Benkei turns and sees Gingka standing in the entrance of the aisle. An unsure look was written across his face.

After a moment of exchanged silence, he seems to understand and walks further in. Everything about his demeanor was careful as he kneels beside him.

"Should we get the others?" Gingka asks Benkei quietly. He shrugs and Gingka gets up and goes to the entrance, calling softly for the others. It felt like being too loud near Kyoya would break him.

There was no assurance that it wouldn't.

They run in and kneel beside Benkei, the sharp concern growing on their faces as they looked over the figure in the cage.

"We have to get him out of there." Gingka loads his bey, then launches it at the lock. It busts off easily and the door swings open, but Kyoya doesn't react with anything other than a flinch.

"Come on kyoya. We have to get out of here." Nile urges.

Kyoya doesn't move, instead he glares at them, his blue eyes shining with suspicion and unease.

Confusion plays over Demure's face and he asks, "what's wrong? Shouldn't he want to come out now?"

Gingka frowns, unsure, and slowly stretches his hand towards Kyoya. "Let's go."

Kyoya hesitates, then, posture hunched in defensively, he slinks away from his hand to the back of the small cage. He stares disconcertingly at them from the shadows, his eyes seeming to glow in the dim space.

Gingka inches closer, his hand still out. "Kyoya, I don't know what they did to you, but I know we have to get out of here before they discover us."

Kyoya continues to leer at them untrustfully.

_What can I do to make him trust us?_ Gingka wonders. His hand absently touches his pocket and feels the bulge of a bey. _That's right! Leone!_

Gingka takes out Kyoya's bey and holds it out to him like a peace offering. Kyoya's eyes rest on the familiar top for a few seconds before hesitantly stretching out his hand. His fingers slowly curl around Leone and an unspoken agreement goes between them.

The green-haired teen edges stiffly out of the cage but doesn't stand. One of his legs are twisted at an odd angle. "Is your leg broken?" Madoka asks him gently. Kyoya doesn't answer, grimacing painfully, but it's clear that it is indeed broken.

Benkei helps him up and he doesn't resist, making Benkei frown. _Normally he doesn't like help. _Kyoya was stubborn and prideful. Even with a broken leg he would have normally at least made an attempt to be self-reliant. The uneasy worry inside Benkei strengthens and he keeps his hold on Kyoya, making sure he doesn't fall.

They leave the dark building through the same entrance they came and begin walking to where Gingka's dad is waiting with a helicopter. After a few minutes, however, it's clear Kyoya is having trouble. Benkei is all but carrying him and he's breathing hard. Sweat is dripping down his face. They stop and Gingka looks closer at him.

"Is he alright?" asks Madoka.

Gingka notices Kyoya's eyes arent focusing quiet right. He pauses and touches his forehead. "It's warm. _Really _warm," replies Gingka worriedly.

Nile moves to Kyoya's other side and helps Benkei. "We have to get to the plane as soon as we can."


	2. Chapter 2

"How bad?"

Gingka glances at his dad. "Really bad. I cant believe that Kyoya..." he trails off as Benkei and Nile help Kyoya onto the plane. Demure follows them and they sit down near the back of the plane.

Gingka's dad sighs. "I can't believe it either. Who would do that?" He frowns. "And who _could_ have done it? Kyoya doesn't break easily, and I don't think the Dark Nebula is around any more. Do you think there might be a new group terrorizing bladers"?

Gingka shugs.

/.

The plane quickly lifts off. Kyoya drifts off to sleep, and most of the plane is quiet. Gingka, who's sitting by Madoka, tells her what his father said.

"A new group? I hope not, the Dark Nebula was bad enough." She says when he finishes.

Gingka nods and replies quietly, "what do you think they did to Kyoya? The way he looked back in that cage... he was like a feral cat. Even though he was hurt, and sick, and we were his friends, he still didn't trust us."

Madoka glances back at Kyoya, who has begun twitching like he's having a nightmare. "I don't want to think about that."

/.  
"Hey Tsubasa? Do you think Yoyo will tell us what happened when he's better?"

Tsubasa turns to Yuu and tries to look reassuring. "Maybe." He answers.

Yuu folds his arms and frowns. "I was wondering why they locked him in a cage like that? It would be one thing if it was just some random room, but a _cage? _That's just sick!" Yuu huffs and continues, "so, I decided that not even the Dark Nebula is that bad. They hurt people and use them, but they never went that far! Plus I dont think any of the other old members are still there. So maybe there's some other organization out there! What do you think Tsubasa?"

The older boy shrugs. "I dunno. Maybe you're right Yuu."

/.  
By the time they arrive it's already dark. They get off, and find a WBBA car is waiting for them. At the director's instructions, it turns for the nearest hospital.

Nile sighs at the sight of rain spattering the windshield. It had started ten minutes ago, and it seemed to make the whole situation a lot tenser. Glancing back, he could see that Kyoya had woken up, but he seemed out of sorts and fatigued, laying limply against the seat with his face flushed and his eyes glassy. Chills would occasionally run through him, making him curl into himself.

"He looks cold..." Nile murmers. Benkei nods.

"I tried giving him my jacket to keep him warm, but he looked... Kinda alarmed and kept moving away."

Nile sighs and nods. "He's still bound to be distrustful, I mean, _normal _Kyoya doesn't trust anyone. Now he'll be outright paranoid." He pauses, then adds, "plus him being half delirious doesn't really help either."

Demure, who is beside Nile, turns around to enter the conversation as well. "You do think he'll get better eventually? I mean, I know the fever will go and his leg will probably mend, but..." He hesitates.

"But he might not be the same Kyoya..." Nile finishes. Demure nods somberly.

Nile glances back at Kyoya wearily. He really didn't want to believe that. Despite how resilient Kyoya was, Nile had to remind himself that he was only fifteen and very human. Kyoya could be broken. And yet Nile still held to the sliver of hope that he'd walk away from this unfazed.

He had to. It wouldn't seem right to give up on the lion yet when Kyoya himself seemed to disregard the phrase entirely.

The car finally pulls into the parking lot and they go inside, Gingka's father switching with Nile to help Kyoya. They hand him off to some nurses with a trolley and Gingka's father speaks with the staff, explaining the situation.

Then they wait.

After several hours, they finally get permission to go to his room to see him.

Nile grimaces at the sight. The white sheets of the bed and the oversized hospital gown seemed to dwarf his bony frame. The IV's and other wires coupled with that created a prominent sense of vulnerability, like Kyoya could be broken with one wrong touch.

"He'll have to remain here for now." A nurse tells them. "I'm afraid you'll have to leave soon, visiting hours are almost up and we don't allow people to stay overnight unless it's for a life threatening condition."

"Dad..." Gingka's turns to his father, his voice pleading, but one look at Ryo's face tells him he won't be using his status to bend the rules. It wasn't certain that being Japan's head WBBA member would even grant him that ability, but Gingka had hoped...

The director nods to the nurse and she leaves.

"We can't do much more here..." Tsubasa murmers, and the others understand his implication.

"We'll stay. Just for a little longer," Nile tells them and the rest of the former team nods.

Anxiety touches at Gingka's heart for a moment, and as he follows his friends out he looks back at his rival.

Would Kyoya pull through?

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**Your reviews were wonderful. I felt so encouraged that every time I went on, one of them would echo in my head, reminding me to update. **

**I was unsatisfied with how I originally wrote this chapter in DA, so most of this is actually new.**

**Aww! Breaking my own rules and leaving off w/ less than 1000 words! :( Oh well.**


	3. Chapter 3

Early the next morning, Madoka and Gingka convince Ryo to drive them to the hospital despite his date with excessive paperwork, and are surprised to see Kyoya's team already there looking worn.

"What happened to you guys?" Gingka asks. Nile, who seems to be the most put together, sighs. "Kyoya started having these really bad nightmares at about 11:00."

"The hospital called us- Nile had had Benkei leave his number last night- they needed someone who understood the situation to calm him down so we came over."

Gingka blinks in surprise. "Nightmares?"

Benkei nods, face drawn with frustration. "Every time he woke up, he was terrified. We would calm him down again, but the nightmares kept coming back." He shakes his head, like he still can't believe the last eight hours happened.

"So how's he now?" Madoka asks. Demure rubs his eyes and answers, "His fever's a bit lower, and they got a cast on his broken leg. He's just resting now." He pauses and adds, "It's strange though, he hasn't said a word to anyone."

Hesitantly, Gingka suggests, "Maybe when he's feeling better?" To which Nile nods and scowls. "I hope so. If I ever find out who did this, they'll pay."

…

It's thankful that the infection isn't as bad as it could have been. The stream of antibiotics over the next few days seems to be taking it out, along with the small case of pneumonia that they discover. Gradually, Kyoya starts becoming more aware, though not before a couple of escape attempts that are mostly foiled by his leg.

Both the unfortunate doctors and patient are not happy about having to fix the damage he's done there, so the lion eventually gets the idea and stays put. The police stop by twice to try and get something from him about their new case. However, it seems that trauma is keeping him mum. It makes conversation awkwardly one-sided as well, but Kyoya seems to prefer it to silence, so Gingka and Yuu argue over ice cream flavors a lot more than they actually care to- or at least, Gingka does. Yuu seems really passionate about cookie dough for some reason.

Tsubasa tries to involve him in folding paper cranes, just for some kind of interaction from him. Kyoya seems quite set upon simply watching them, though. The only exception being his team, or really, mostly just Benkei. The bull of a guy was never content with simply talking or little activities, and his frustration at helplessness show strongly enough that it seems to unnerve Kyoya into putting a bit of effort into reacting. Their favorite moment is when he dropped a large bouquet in Kyoya's lap, garnering him to move them and a small nod when Benkei asked whether he liked them. To be fair, Benkei might have started crying or angrily denouncing the organization responsible had he shook no or not reacted.

As nice as it is to see Kyoya doing anything, everyone agrees that Benkei is a bit more intense than should be handled in his recovery, so generally the visits are short. Kyoya seems to agree, as he often falls asleep right after them.

The only other time Kyoya really responds to them is when Yuu brings in a singing card. The kid had run over excitedly and opened the card to show the lion. At the sudden sound, Kyoya flinched. He'd only withstood a couple seconds of the song before reaching out and lightly pushing it closed, so to silence it. Yuu had been very sad about Kyoya's reaction, though not so much that he'd rejected the song as that he couldn't enjoy it. To have something fun turned scary was the worst thing in the world.

...

After a month, Kyoya is doing comparatively better. He's left the hospital with a strict diet, crutches, a few bottles of prescribed medication, and a recommendation for a therapist. Without any stable living environment, he's had to be taken in by Gingka and his father, though it's more than frequent that others come around as well.

Now that he's up and about, it's more noticeable the effects the trauma has on him. The watching that had been so notable in the hospital is more obvious here, where he leers and stares like he's waiting for the other person to make some move against him. He doesn't like corners, yet skirting the edges of whatever area he's in is a quirk that's not only stuck, but strengthened. He doesn't like being approached by multiple people at a time or else he gets wary and aggressive, and loud or sudden noises were a bad idea.

Often, he'd disappear somewhere, like a closet or under a couch, and in no circumstance should they try to pull him out, as it was discovered in the time they did that Kyoya, being in a bad place in his head, would react badly. He'd fight his way out viciously and run somewhere else to hide and quietly deal with a panic attack. He'd be twice as evasive for about a week after.

He did very well with his crutches at least. He needed to be reminded about the medication, but eating didn't seem to bear any problems. The hospital had warned that if malnourishment had been a fixture in his time missing, he might deal with periods of fasting and gorging, but he didn't appear to have that issue. Ryo considers that it might support the theory that he was left to die in the cage.

Ryo understands that finding the _right _therapist is a big part of the process, but Kyoya seems both stubbornly predisposed to hate new people, and firmly against leaving the house. It's making the whole thing very difficult.

Kyoya's trust might have regained through his bey, but he had yet to join in any bey battles. He just carried it around, looking at it from time to time. Madoka's offer to check it over was met with a blank stare and a tightened grip over his beloved Leone, and since then no one had attempted touching it. In watching him turn it over in his hands, Gingka is reminded of how they realized something had happened to him.

_Two month had passed. That hadn't mattered to Gingka, seeing as how the nomad had the tendency to walk off and vanish for long stretches of time. He hadn't worried, or even considered that the other might be in danger. His rival, after all, was a force to be reckoned with, and he pitied the fool who tried to take Kyoya Tategami down. _

_When Benkei, Nile, and Demure asked if he knew where Kyoya was, Gingka began to wonder. Benkei, after all, followed Kyoya everywhere and by now must have some kind of radar built into his head. For him to have no idea was unusual, but nothing to really be alarmed over._

_It wasn't until Leone was found on the ground in some alley that red flags went up. To someone as good as Kyoya, his bey was his life. _

_They'd enlisted the WBBA's resources and eventually it was discovered that an organization had been behind several bladers disappearances. The law had gotten involved, and once the raid was underway, Ryo had managed to get them permission to search as well. _

In hindsight, Gingka regrets writing the clues off. He couldn't have known, but at the same time he regrets not doing something earlier. If they could have saved Kyoya some of the pain he endured, if they had only realized…

That didn't matter now. What mattered now was figuring out how to help him.

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***Insert Mulan gif* I LIIIIIVE!**

**This one has been a work in progress for forever, and it is finally done. **

**Which immediately puts me back into the "gotta get another stupid chapter done" stage. Yes. So thrilled. **

**Frankly, this story is easiest to update since its just editing and rewriting what garbage I slapped on DA, so despite my interest being a bar of soap on a greased pig, I can hold it down long enough to add bits and pieces periodically. **

**Thank you, you beautiful people for bearing with me. I really really appreciate it.**


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